The modern, private enterpriseeconomy of Bewgium has capitawised on its centraw geographic wocation, highwy devewoped transport network, and diversified industriaw and commerciaw base. The first country to undergo an industriaw revowution on de continent of Europe in de earwy 19f century, Bewgium devewoped an excewwent transportation infrastructure of ports, canaws, raiwways, and highways to integrate its industry wif dat of its neighbors.[12] Industry is concentrated mainwy in de popuwous Fwanders in de norf, around Brussews and in de two biggest Wawwoon cities, Liège and Charweroi, awong de siwwon industriew. Bewgium imports raw materiaws and semi-finished goods dat are furder processed and re-exported. Except for its coaw, which is no wonger economicaw to expwoit, Bewgium has few naturaw resources oder dan fertiwe soiws. Nonedewess, most traditionaw industriaw sectors are represented in de economy, incwuding steew, textiwes, refining, chemicaws, food processing, pharmaceuticaws, automobiwes, ewectronics, and machinery fabrication, uh-hah-hah-hah. Despite de heavy industriaw component, services account for 74.9% of GDP, whiwe agricuwture accounts for onwy 1% of GDP.[12]

Wif exports eqwivawent to over two-dirds of GNP, Bewgium depends heaviwy on worwd trade. Bewgium's trade advantages are derived from its centraw geographic wocation and a highwy skiwwed, muwtiwinguaw, and productive work force. One of de founding members of de European Community, Bewgium strongwy supports deepening de powers of de present-day European Union to integrate European economies furder.[12] About dree-qwarters of its trade is wif oder EU countries. Togeder wif de Nederwands and Luxembourg, Bewgium is awso one of Benewux member states.

Bewgium's pubwic debt is about 105% of GDP.[13] The government succeeded in bawancing its budget during de 2000–2008 period, and income distribution is rewativewy eqwaw. Bewgium began circuwating de euro currency in January 2002. Economic growf and foreign direct investment dropped in 2008. In 2009 Bewgium suffered negative growf and increased unempwoyment, stemming from de worwdwide banking crisis.[13]

For 50 years drough Worwd War II, French-speakingWawwonia was a technicawwy advanced, industriaw region, wif its industry concentrated awong de siwwon industriew, whiwe Dutch-speakingFwanders was predominantwy agricuwturaw wif some industry, mainwy processing agricuwturaw products and textiwes. This disparity began to fade during de interwar period. When Bewgium emerged from Worwd War II wif its industriaw infrastructure rewativewy undamaged danks to de Gawopin doctrine, de stage was set for a period of rapid devewopment, particuwarwy in Fwanders. The postwar boom years, enhanced by de estabwishment of de European Union and NATO headqwarters in Brussews, contributed to de rapid expansion of wight industry droughout most of Fwanders, particuwarwy awong a corridor stretching between Brussews and Antwerp, which is de second wargest port in Europe after Rotterdam.[12]

Foreign investment contributed significantwy to Bewgian economic growf in de 1960s. In particuwar, U.S. firms pwayed a weading rowe in de expansion of wight industriaw and petrochemicaw industries in de 1960s and 1970s.[12]

The owder, traditionaw industries of Wawwonia, particuwarwy steew industry, began to wose deir competitive edge during dis period, but de generaw growf of worwd prosperity masked dis deterioration untiw de 1973 and 1979 oiw price shocks and resuwtant shifts in internationaw demand sent de economy into a period of prowonged recession. In de 1980s and 1990s, de economic center of de country continued to shift nordwards to Fwanders wif investments by muwtinationaws (Automotive industry, Chemicaw industry) and a growing wocaw Industriaw agricuwture (textiwes, food).

The earwy 1980s saw de country facing a difficuwt period of structuraw adjustment caused by decwining demand for its traditionaw products, deteriorating economic performance, and negwected structuraw reform. Conseqwentwy, de 1980–82 recession shook Bewgium to de core—unempwoyment mounted, sociaw wewfare costs increased, personaw debt soared, de government deficit cwimbed to 13% of GDP, and de nationaw debt, awdough mostwy hewd domesticawwy, mushroomed.

Against dis grim backdrop, in 1982, Prime Minister Martens' center-right coawition government formuwated an economic recovery program to promote export-wed growf by enhancing de competitiveness of Bewgium's export industries drough an 8.5% devawuation, uh-hah-hah-hah. Economic growf rose from 2% in 1984 to a peak of 4% in 1989. In May 1990, de government winked de Bewgian franc to de Deutsche Mark, primariwy drough cwosewy tracking German interest rates. Conseqwentwy, as German interest rates rose after 1990, Bewgian rates have increased and contributed to a decwine in de economic growf rate. In 1992–93, de Bewgian economy suffered de worst recession since Worwd War II, wif de reaw GDP decwining 1.7% in 1993.[citation needed]

Bewgium switched from de Bewgian franc to de Euro as its currency after 1 January 2002. Bewgian per capita GDP ranks among de worwd's highest. In 2008, de per capita income (PPP) was $37,500. The federaw government has managed to present bawanced budgets in recent years, but pubwic debt remains high, at 99% of 2009 GDP. GDP growf in 2009 was negative at −1.5%.[12]

About 80% of Bewgium's trade is wif fewwow EU member states. Given dis high percentage, it seeks to diversify and expand trade opportunities wif non-EU countries. The Bewgian audorities are, as a ruwe, anti-protectionist and try to maintain a hospitabwe and open trade and investment cwimate. The European Commission negotiates on trade issues for aww member states, which, in turn wessens biwateraw trade disputes wif Bewgium.[12]

The Bewgian Government encourages new foreign investment as a means to promote empwoyment. Wif regionaw devowution, Fwanders, Brussews, and Wawwonia are now courting potentiaw foreign investors and offer a host of incentives and benefits.[12] Foreign companies in Bewgium account for approximatewy 11% of de totaw work force, wif de U.S. share at about 5%. Attracted by de EU 1992 singwe-market program, many foreign firms and wawyers have settwed in Brussews since 1989.[12]

The sociaw security system, which expanded rapidwy during de prosperous 1950s and 1960s, incwudes a medicaw system, unempwoyment insurance coverage, chiwd awwowances, invawid benefits, and oder benefits and pensions. Wif de onset of a recession in de 1970s, dis system became an increasing burden on de economy and accounted for much of de government budget deficits. The nationaw unempwoyment figures mask considerabwe differences between Fwanders and Wawwonia. Unempwoyment in Wawwonia is mainwy structuraw, whiwe in Fwanders it is cycwicaw. Fwanders' unempwoyment wevews are generawwy onwy about hawf dose of Wawwonia. The soudern region continues a difficuwt transition out of sunset industries (mainwy coaw and steew), whiwe sunrise industries (chemicaws, high-tech, and services) dominate in Fwanders.[12]

Bewgium's unempwoyment rate was 6.5% in 2008. A totaw of 4.99 miwwion peopwe make up Bewgium's wabor force. The majority of dese peopwe (73%) work in de service sector. Bewgian industry cwaims 25% of de wabor force and agricuwture onwy 2%. As in oder industriawized nations, pension and oder sociaw entitwement programs have become a major concern as de baby boom generation approaches retirement.[12]

Awdough Bewgium is a weawdy country, pubwic expenditures far exceeded income for many years, and taxes were not diwigentwy pursued. The Bewgian Government reacted to de 1973 and 1979 oiw price hikes by hiring de redundant work force into de pubwic sector and subsidizing industries wike coaw, steew, textiwes, gwass, and shipbuiwding, which had wost deir internationaw competitive edge. As a resuwt, cumuwative government debt reached 121% of GDP by de end of de 1980s. However, danks to Bewgium's high personaw savings rate, de Bewgian Government financed de deficit from mainwy domestic savings, minimizing de deweterious effects on de overaww economy.[12]

The federaw government ran a 7.1% budget deficit in 1992 at de time of de EU's Treaty of Maastricht, which estabwished conditions for Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) dat wed to adoption of de common Euro currency on 1 January 2002. Among oder criteria spewwed out under de Maastricht treaty, de Bewgian Government had to attain a budget deficit of no greater dan 3% of GDP by de end of 1997; Bewgium achieved dis, wif a totaw budget deficit in 2001 (just prior to impwementation of de Euro) dat amounted to 0.2% of GDP. The government has bawanced de budget every year since, untiw 2009 where it ran a deficit of about $25 biwwion, uh-hah-hah-hah. Bewgium's accumuwated pubwic debt remains high at 99% of 2009 GDP.[12] A swight decrease in de accumuwated pubwic debt compared to GDP has been seen, however, danks to a higher economic growf rate compared to de budget growf rate, which pushed de percentage from 99% of GDP in 2009 to 95% of GDP in 2011, a four-point decrease in two years, a feat rare enough to mention in de Western Worwd.

The economy of Bewgium is varied and cannot be understood widout taking de regionaw differences into account. Indeed, Fwemish and Wawwoon economies differ in many respects (consider for instance Eurostats and OECD statistics), and cities wike Brussews, Antwerp, Liège, Bruges, Charweroi or Ghent awso exhibit significant differences. In generaw, productivity in Fwanders is roughwy 20% higher (per inhabitant) dan in Wawwonia. Brussews' GDP per capita is much higher dan eider region, awdough dis is in many ways artificiaw, as many of dose dat work in de Brussews-Capitaw Region wive in Fwanders or Wawwonia. Their output is counted in Brussews and not where dey wive, artificiawwy raising de per capita GDP of Brussews and swightwy wowering dat of Fwanders and Wawwonia.

Unempwoyment has remained consistentwy more dan twice as high in Wawwonia dan in Fwanders, and even more in Brussews, during most of de wast 20 years (2012: Fwanders: 4.55%; Wawwonia: 10.12% and Brussews: 17.47%[15]).

Being de de facto European capitaw, its economy is massivewy service-oriented. It has a number of regionaw headqwarters of muwtinationaw corporations. It is awso host to a great number of European institutions, in addition to de Bewgian federaw government, de government of de Fwemish Community and de government of de French Community. Brussews awso has many commuters, wif 230,000 coming from Fwanders, and 130,000 from Wawwonia. Much of de success of Brussews is based on de high educationaw skiwws of its workforce. As of Juwy 2012, however, de statisticaw unempwoyment rate in Brussews was 20.6%.[17]

The port of Antwerp was in 2004 de second wargest European sea port by cargo vowume, and de Antwerp freight raiwway station accounts for one-dird of Bewgian freight traffic. Antwerp is de first diamond market in de worwd, diamond exports account for roughwy 1/10 of Bewgian exports. The Antwerp-based BASF pwant is de wargest BASF-base outside Germany, and accounts on its own for about 2% of Bewgian exports. Oder industriaw and service activities incwude car manufacturing, tewecommunications, photographic products.

The port of Bruges-Zeebrugge is one of de most important, modern and fastest growing[18] ports in Europe. It is Europe's wargest port for RoRo traffic[19] and naturaw gas.[20] It awso is de worwd's wargest port for de import and export of new vehicwes.[21] Tourism is awso a major component of de economy of Bruges. Due to its pristine medievaw city centre, Bruges has become a popuwar tourist destination, uh-hah-hah-hah. Annuawwy about 2.5 miwwion day tourists visit de city and in 2007 dere were about 1.4 miwwion overnight stays.

The port of Ghent, in de norf of de city, is de dird wargest port of Bewgium. It is accessed by de Ghent-Terneuzen Canaw, which ends near de Dutch port of Terneuzen on de Western Schewdt. The port houses, among oders, big companies wike ArceworMittaw, Vowvo Cars, Vowvo Trucks, Vowvo Parts, Honda, and Stora Enso. The Ghent University, de second wargest university of Bewgium by number of students, and a number of research oriented companies are situated in de centraw and soudern part of de city. Tourism is increasingwy becoming a major empwoyer in de wocaw area. Begonias have been cuwtivated in de Ghent area since 1860. Bewgium is de worwd's wargest producer of begonias, pwanting 60 miwwion tubers per year. Eighty percent of de crop is exported.[22]

In de past, Liège was one of de most important steew-making centres in Europe. Starting in 1817, John Cockeriww extensivewy devewoped de iron and steew industry. The industriaw compwex of Seraing was de wargest in de worwd. Awdough now a shadow of its former sewf, steew production and de manufacture of steew goods remain important.

Charweroi features an industriaw area, iron and steew industry, gwassworks, chemicaws, and ewectricaw engineering. Charweroi is in de center of a vast coaw basin, cawwed Pays Noir. Many swag heaps stiww surround de city. Charweroi is awso known for its pubwishing industry wif Dupuis, one of de main pubwishers of Franco-Bewgian comics, wocated in Marcinewwe.